Summary:
Zip code 49065 is home to a single elementary school, Lawton Elementary School, which serves grades Pre-K through 4th grade within the Lawton Community School District.
For parents considering this area, Lawton Elementary stands out as a stable, above-average performer. The school has maintained a 3-star rating for three consecutive years, ranking in the 60th percentile of Michigan elementary schools. Its greatest academic strength is in English Language Arts, where both 3rd and 4th graders significantly outperform state averages—4th graders exceed the state by over 12 percentage points. However, math performance is more uneven. While 4th graders slightly beat the state average, 3rd graders lag behind by nearly 11 percentage points, suggesting a potential area for improvement in early math instruction. Additionally, 4th-grade math scores dropped sharply from 58.8% to 43.5% proficiency year-over-year, which may reflect a different cohort of students or a need to examine instructional consistency.
Encouragingly, the school maintains a low chronic absenteeism rate of 11.8%—less than half the state average of 27.9%—and a favorable student-teacher ratio of 12.8 to 1, which supports individualized attention. Despite over half of the student body (53.9%) qualifying for free or reduced lunch, the school achieves strong ELA results and high attendance, indicating effective support for students facing economic challenges. The 4th-grade cohort appears to be a particular bright spot, excelling in both subjects. One data limitation to note: spending per student is listed as $0, which is clearly an error, so financial efficiency cannot be assessed. Overall, Lawton Elementary offers a solid, well-rounded education with notable strengths in reading, though families should be aware of the math performance gap in 3rd grade.
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